


Photograph

by FantasiPDF



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, It's a hobby, Kinda, M/M, Photographer! Ennoshita, Pokemon GO - Freeform, This got way out of hand it was supposed to be like 1000 words but whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8309887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasiPDF/pseuds/FantasiPDF
Summary: Snap. The click of a camera shutter. The tired birdsong that rang through the air as endless background noise in the cool autumn morning. His calm breathing made small clouds in the air in front of him. Ennoshita looked into the viewfinder to examine his work, frowning slightly when he couldn’t seem to get the perfect angle. He glanced at the flowered bush he had been trying to photograph with a slightly perplexed look. He raised the camera to his eye again, twisting and turning it before he finally took another picture. He stood up from his crouched position to examine the new picture. Satisfied, he turned around to find another subject to photograph before he had to get back to his dorm and get ready for afternoon classes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta Natalie! U the real MPV
> 
> (Based off http://white-weasel.tumblr.com/post/147154731197/ennotana-au-where-tanaka-is-an-avid-pokemon-go)

_ Snap.  _ The click of a camera shutter. The tired birdsong that rang through the air as endless background noise in the cool autumn morning. His calm breathing made small clouds in the air in front of him. Ennoshita looked into the viewfinder to examine his work, frowning slightly when he couldn’t seem to get the perfect angle. He glanced at the flowered bush he had been trying to photograph with a slightly perplexed look. He raised the camera to his eye again, twisting and turning it before he finally took another picture. He stood up from his crouched position to examine the new picture. Satisfied, he turned around to find another subject to photograph before he had to get back to his dorm and get ready for afternoon classes.

 

He had started taking pictures as a hobby the year before as a way to escape his rather boring and uneventful college life. Volleyball tryouts had yet to take place this year as the coach was having some family issues, and had decided to put them off until the next week. Outside of volleyball, Ennoshita didn’t have many hobbies; so he had taken up photography. He was starting to get pretty good at it, he thought, and was pretty proud of his skill despite being fairly new.

 

It was about a week into his sophomore year, and he was stressed with his schoolwork so far. Honestly,  _ who the fuck assigns essays on the first day _ . His mind wandered to volleyball tryouts, and he wondered if he would make the team this year. Last year, he became sick when they were being held, and the coach wasn’t willing to give him a re-do. He since had done his best to take his doctor’s advice to eat healthier and build up his immune system. He couldn’t afford to miss tryouts again, not after last year 

 

His mind back to the task at hand, and his eyes scanned the familiar park for more flora to capture. Just as he took his first step toward a promising-looking display of flowers, something barreled into his back at full force. He fell to the ground, the something- no,  _ someone _ falling on top of him with a startled shriek. The someone scrambled to his feet in a hurried motion, sprinting right past Ennoshita with a frenzied look on his face.

 

“Sorry!” the stranger shouted. “I gotta catch this Dratini!” he said in one short breath, his body disappearing into a grove of trees in the park. Ennoshita slowly got to his feet, checking his camera vigorously to make sure nothing was broken. Once he was sure his precious baby wasn’t damaged in any way, he stalked over to where he had seen the stranger disappear. He looked around for a bit before he saw him leaning against an old park bench, staring intently at the screen of his phone.

 

Ennoshita stomped over, determined to give this dickwad a piece of his mind. The guy’s face lit up with joy, and he let out a victory shout as he threw his hands into the air. He went right back to looking at his phone again, this time with a large, stupidly happy grin on his face. He tapped the screen a few times before shoving it into his back pocket and starting to walk away. Oh, no way in  _ fuck  _ was this little shit going to get away with almost ruining his expensive camera. Before he got away, Ennoshita grabbed the back of his shirt with one hand, his other gently cradling his camera.

 

“Hey, Asshole!” he called, “Why don’t you watch where you’re going next time? You almost broke my camera!” The boy turned around with a guilty look on his face, and for the first time, Ennoshita was able to take a good look at him. He had sharp facial features and black studded earrings. Wearing a black tank top, he showed off a dragon tattoo that snaked around his left upper arm, making him look fairly intimidating. Ennoshita decided to not give him the satisfaction of being scared. He picked at the collar of his shirt and laughed nervously, now fully facing Ennoshita.

 

“Hey, yeah, sorry about that. Uhh, maybe I could make it up to you?” he mumbled, blushing. Ennoshita narrowed his eyes, sceptical.  _ This little shit is not getting out of this so easily. _ Well, he technically didn’t break anything, but there are certain lines that you just don’t cross. Almost breaking a guy’s camera and giving him a small heart attack? That was one of them.

 

“Make it up to me  _ how? _ ” He asked, his mind traveling to some weird places. Now that he thought of it, this guy wasn’t  _ too  _ bad looking.  _ Huh _ . Mentally shaking his head, he quickly dispelled those thoughts. This was a  _ stranger _ for god’s sake.

 

“Uh, I could buy you coffee?” he suggested, “I know it’s not a lot, but it’s all I can really think of right now.” The hand that had been picking at his shirt fell back to his side. Ennoshita sighed.

 

“Fine. I’m still kind of pissed though,” Ennoshita huffed, his arms crossed. The stranger made a “this way” motion with his hand, and started walking toward one of the exits of the park. “The stranger.” God, Ennoshita was really going to have to stop calling him that. He was about to ask, but the guy cut him off.

 

“Hey, what’s your name anyway? Mine’s Tanaka Ryuunosuke. I’m a second year at Karasuno University!” he said enthusiastically, having seemingly forgotten why they were walking together in the first place.

 

“I’m Ennoshita Chikara and I’m a second year too. By the way, what was it that got you so jumpy earlier anyway?” he asked. Tanaka’s feet shuffled a little bit, and he picked at the hem of his tank top. Ennoshita guessed that this had to be a nervous habit or something. He laughed nervously again, stuttering a little and looking anywhere but Ennoshita.

 

“Well, it’s a  _ really  _ stupid reason, and you might be a little mad,” he muttered.

 

“Oh, I’m already a little mad, I doubt that it could get too much worse. But please, go on,” Ennoshita said matter-of-factly. Just now realizing he was still holding onto his camera, he carefully put it into it’s case and placed it gently in his messenger bag.

 

“Haha, well, you see,” Tanaka began nervously, “ImayormaynothavebeenplayingPokemonGOandfoundaDratini,” he blurted out the words so fast that Ennoshita couldn’t distinguish them. Ennoshita tilted his head and glanced at Tanaka with a perplexed look on his face. Tanaka sighed in resignation.

 

“I was playing Pokemon GO. Look, I know it’s stupid, but I made a bet with my friend to see who could fill up their Pokedex the fastest, and I saw a Dratini over there. I didn’t have a dratini, so I really needed it! There are some high stakes going here, buddy,” Tanaka explained, turning his pleading gaze on Ennoshita. He thought for a moment.  _ Wow. Okay. This bitch. He’s going to do much more for me then buy me coffee.  _ Then, he grew curious.

 

“What do you mean, high stakes?” He asked as they stopped in front of a small cafe just outside of the park. Tanaka held the door open for him and he stepped inside, taking in the cozy-looking seats, warm lighting, and soothing jazz music playing from small speakers.

 

“Well, Nishinoya and I have a slight tendency to overcomplicate things a little bit. We may or may not have bet each other’s love lives on this,” he mumbled, shuffling up to the counter to order while Ennoshita was left confused. When Tanaka was done, he stepped up to the counter to place his order on the same tab as his. He walked over to the table where Tanaka sat, and sat down in the booth across from him.

 

“Okay, I’m thoroughly confused. What do you  _ mean  _ you bet each other’s love lives?” Ennoshita demanded. Tanaka put his hands up defensively.

 

“Well, I say it like that, but really the bet was winner gets to set up a date for the other person. This wouldn’t be so bad initially, but Nishinoya is currently in the lead and believe me when I say he is a  _ horrible _ wingman,” Tanaka said with a visible cringe. At that moment, a thought came to Ennoshita’s mind. It was a terrible thought in hindsight, and he really should have thought this through more before he blurted it out.

 

“Well, if the bet doesn’t work out, I could pretend to be you boyfriend or something,” Regret. Tanaka spluttered and snapped his head up, when the barista interrupted them.

 

“Strawberry frappuccino for Ryuu, White Chocolate Mocha for Ennoshita?” she called, looking bored. Tanaka burst up from his seat blushing furiously.

 

“I’ll go get it!” he told Ennoshita, not waiting for an answer before he dashed over to the barista to get their drinks. Ennoshita had long since slammed his forehead onto the table, his self-loathing going through the roof by the time Tanaka got back. Tanka set their drinks down and cleared his throat nervously.

 

“Uh, I know you probably meant it as a joke but…” Tanaka started. Ennoshita groaned internally. He fucked up. He had ruined a relationship with a hot stranger that he had just met  _ 10 minutes ago.  _ That’s got to be a new record.  _ I fucked up I fucked up I fucked up I fucked u- _

 

“I might actually take you up on that offer,” He finished.  _ Well there goes any of my chances,  _ Ennoshita thought, and then  _ Wait what? _ Immediately afterwards. He choked on his Mocha, and made a fool of himself for a good 30 seconds before he could compose himself.  _ Calm down Chikara, after all,  _ you’re  _ the one who offered in the first place.  _ He stared into his coffee for another 10 seconds, contemplating the pros and cons. 

 

_ Pros,  _ he thought,  _ I get to date an attractive stranger for however long it takes him or his friend the fill up their pokedex. Cons: We literally  _ just  _ met.  _ Deciding that this wouldn’t go too well either way, he resigned to his fate.

 

“So, when do we start?” Ennoshita asked, finally looking up from his drink.

 

“Right now, I guess. The question is,  _ how  _ do we start?” Tanaka replied, “Noya’s gonna be suspicious if you suddenly appear out of nowhere.” He rested his chin on his hand and taking a long slurp of his frappuccino.

 

“Well, how often do you go to that park? We could say we saw each other in passing every morning and then you just asked me out or something,” Ennoshita suggested.

 

“That works, but you would have to be the one to ask me out. Noya would know if I was gushing about you for a while,” he confirmed. Tanaka took his phone out of his pocket and exited out of the app he had been on, presumably Pokemon GO.

 

“So, here’s the gist of it. You asked me out after we kept seeing each other around in the mornings. We’ll date until Noya or I complete our Pokedex, and then what? Should we just fake a messy breakup?” Tanaka asked. Ennoshita hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Yeah, that sounds like it would work,” He agreed.  _ Wait. What am I getting out of this? He nearly broke my camera and now  _ I’m  _ helping  _ him _?  _ He decided not to bring it up. Unnecessary complications were never really something Ennoshita was a fan of, after all.

 

They talked for another 30 minutes about their plan, but broke it off when Ennoshita realized he needed to get to class soon. After a few quick goodbyes and an exchange of phone numbers, they went their separate ways. 

* * *

 

When all of his work was out of the way that night, he was about ready to collapse onto his bed after his rather eventful day. Just as he settled down after a hot shower, the phone on his nightstand vibrated.

 

He groped around for it, and pulled it in front of his face when he finally found it. The screen read:

 

(now) Tanaka

_ Okay so I know this is rlly soon but i need u to go on a double date w/ me next Friday _

_ Noya may have tokd my sister and now she wants to meet u _

_ **told _

 

Ennoshita just stared at the screen, his mind blank and his face emotionless. He stayed that way for a second, then all of the feelings flooded him at once.  _ Are you fucking kidding me?  _ He asked himself. This was going to be interesting.

 

(2 minutes ago) Tanaka

_ Hey uhh… u still there?? _

 

Ennoshita snapped himself out of his mini freak-out, and finally replied.

 

(sent)

_ Yah that's alright with me. What time were u thinking? _

 

(now) Tanaka

_ Maybe around 8:00? _

_ My sis doesn't get off work till 6:00 _

 

(sent)

_ That works. I have something tomorrow but it should be over by 6:15 _

_ Where are we meeting? _

 

(now) Tanaka

_ U heard of the old sushi place downtown? _

_ It's called Takeda sushi _

 

(sent)

_ Yah, sounds good _

 

(now) Tanaka 

_ K, see u next week _

 

Ennoshita let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He set the device face-down on the nightstand and left it to charge. Slowly but surely, he drifted off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

Ennoshita awoke the next week to an insistent buzzing from next to his bed. Groggily, he slapped his hand down on the nightstand and felt around until he found the source of the sleep-ruining alarm. He tapped on random parts of the screen until the vibrations stopped, and managed to throw one leg over the side of his bed. The past week had been a jumbled mess of classes and emotions. He had exchanged more texts with Tanaka, but it was all pretty surface level, and there was no real getting to know each other.

 

When he finally succeeded in getting both of his feet onto the floor, he leaned on the nearest wall and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He stumbled around his dorm, feeling for the light switch. When he found it and turned the lights on he made his way to his dresser to grab a simple grey t-shirt and jeans before walking to the bathroom. The dark-haired sophomore turned on the shower to a luke-warm temperature and stepped inside.

 

Quickly washing himself off,He watched the water drip lazily and methodically from his half-dry hair as he brushed his teeth. When he finished, he unwrapped the towel and grabbed the clothes he had haphazardly thrown aside earlier. As he pulled his pants on, he heard a ding from his desk. Ennoshita walked over and picked up his phone, only to see another text from Tanaka.

 

(1 minute ago) Tanaka

_ Were on for 8 @ takeda’s right _

_ Just checkin _

 

(sent)

_ Yah _

 

After typing the quick reply, he shoved his phone in his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and headed out the door. He jogged down the hallway, determined to get some exercise before tryouts later that day. When he got outside, he jogged past the few cars in the parking lot and down the sidewalk to the science and engineering building for his first few classes of the day. Anticipation for that night was eating him alive, yet he couldn’t quite figure out why.

* * *

 

He stumbled out of the large glass double-doors, having been pushed by the swarm of students rushing to get home or to their next class. Luckily for Ennoshita, this was his last class on Friday. Unluckily for him, he had volleyball in less than half an hour. He quickly recuperated himself, then jolted to his senses and ran to the dorms.

 

Out of breath and panting, he struggled to jam his keys in the door handle and turn the lock. He burst through the door and grabbed his volleyball bag. Ennoshita made a quick inventory of everything, to make sure that nothing was missing. He glanced at the time, still panting. 4:17. He pulled on his clothes and shoes and threw open the door once again, but made sure to lock it on his way out. He practically sprinted down the hall, then down the stairs. He ran as fast as he could to athletics hall B, determined to be on time. It was in sight now. He looked at his phone: 4:26. 4 minutes.

 

Collapsing against the grey brick wall, he looked at his phone one last time. 4:29. He made it, but just barely. He stood back up and pushed the wooden doors open, revealing the moderately sized gymnasium. There were a few people warming up and stretching. A few he recognized, a few not so much. Spotting Kinoshita and Narita, two of the familiar faces, he jogged over to warm up with them. They had made the team last year, but quit once classes had gotten rough and they had lost motivation. Now, they were back due to the pleas of Ennoshita. “I don’t want to be alone, I barely know anyone!” he had said at the time. Since then, he had met the captain, Daichi, and the manager, Kiyoko, in his classes.

 

He had known Kinoshita since high school, and Narita had weaseled his way into their small friend group within the first month of Freshman year. Now, along with a few other high school friends they had managed to keep in contact with, they were as close as ever.

 

“Chikara, ‘sup?” Narita asked, grabbing a volleyball. Kinoshita stood up from his stretch and walked over to pat Ennoshita on the back.

 

“Nice to see you again! It’s been kind of long, huh?” Kinoshita asked rhetorically.

 

“Yeah, it’s nice to talk again,” he replied, bending down to stretch himself. Just then, a shrill whistle called the potential players to attention. They all gathered in a rough circle surrounding the coach. As the coach started laying out all that they would be doing and would be evaluated on, one last person burst through the doors.

 

“Sorry I’m late!” he panted heavily. Ennoshita turned his head towards the noise. His eyes widened in realization when he saw who it was. Restraining himself from blurting out “What are you doing here!?” or something equally embarrassing, he snapped his gaze back to the coach.

 

From what Ennoshita saw in the brief time he looked over, Tanaka hadn't noticed him. Instead, he crossed his line of sight again when he went to stand next to a short boy with spiked up hair, presumably a Libero. The boy held his hands out in a silent invitation, and Tanaka slapped them gently in a quiet high-five.

 

The coach rambled on, but Ennoshita was no longer paying attention. His mind had plenty of other things to think about. For instance, how hard the ‘break up’ would be if they were on the same team.  _ Fuck,  _ he thought. This was going to be even harder than he originally expected.

 

The coach finished talking, and the group split up into two for a practice match. Then, Ennoshita realized his mistake. Kinoshita and Narita were on the other side of the net, and Tanaka was  _ next to him _ . His first thought was  _ oh shit,  _ but his second was  _ wait has he seriously not recognized me yet?  _ At the very least, this would be an interesting match.

 

Ennoshita glanced to his right. Tanaka seemed to be deeply involved in his conversation with the supposed Libero, both were using large gestures to punctuate their words. The coach blew his whistle again and the players managed to figure out temporary positions. Since the volleyball team was so small, it only had twelve people trying out, leaving Ennoshita stuck with his “boyfriend” and no easily discernible way to deal with the situation.

 

The match started soon enough, and the players barely managed to fall into any kind of obvious team. The players couldn't seem to flow just yet, and the black-haired setter on his side of the net seemed to completely ignore the orange-haired middle blocker begging for a spike. Tanaka ran up to spike, and he hit the ball with such enthusiasm that Ennoshita had to hold back a snort of laughter.

 

It ended with a score of 25-21, Ennoshita’s side emerging victorious. Each player seemed to be varying levels of average, but there was real potential, and he could see himself really fitting in with this team. Lost in his own thoughts for a moment, he failed to realize the figure creeping up behind him.

 

“CHIKA!” A voice shouted in his ear, causing him to jump about four feet in the air. He could feel the boy’s breath on his ear, and fuck if he didn't feel something.

 

“I didn't know you played volleyball,” he continued, not quite realizing what situation Ennoshita was in. Gathering himself, he managed a reply.

 

“To be fair, I didn't know you did either,” he replied as steadily as he could, his heart beating as fast as it would dare.

 

“Ryuu, who’s this?” The short guy from earlier asked as he pranced over to stand next to Ennoshita. He poked him in the side a few times to further emphasize his question.

 

“Noya!” Tanaka yelled in greeting, “This is my boyfriend.” Ennoshita froze up.  _ Really?  _ He thought to himself,  _ Are we really doing this right now? _

 

He relaxed soon enough. Managing to play along for the rest of practice, he was able to excuse his nervousness at the beginning as simple shyness. Despite that, he eventually fell into easy conversation with the short boy, whose name he eventually learned to be Nishinoya Yuu. Wondering what all of the fuss was about, Kinoshita and Narita snuck their way into the conversation, and they seemed to form a slightly dysfunctional but eager friend group.

 

Their conversation was cut off by another shrill whistle, and they returned to trying out for the team. When Ennoshita thought about it, tryouts were hardly necessary. There were so few people that if no-one made the cut, the team might actually get into some trouble. Despite this, they were held anyway. Something to judge the work ethic of the players more than anything, he supposed.

 

After the last annoying shriek of the whistle, the soon-to-be team began picking up the balls and putting the net away. The day had been an overall success, he thought. He had made his debut as Tanaka’s boyfriend, had gotten through tryouts without a hitch, and made a few new friends in his future team. Despite this, there was still something nagging in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite tell what it was or what it meant, but he was determined to figure it out.

()

After taking a hot bath, Ennoshita was ready to once again collapse onto the fluffy pillows that lay on his bed. This time, however, he couldn't. Looking at the clock, he had about 45 minutes. The place wasn't too far away, he decided, so he would just walk there and back. Recalling the semi-formal decor from the few times he had been to Takeda’s, he dressed accordingly in a smooth navy blue button-down and black slacks.

 

He looked at his appearance in the mirror for a second before brushing his teeth and trying to get his hair to lay a little flatter. Sighing, he slipped his phone into his pocket, his shoes on, and he was out the door before 7:30. He walked briskly through the chilling autumn air, checking his phone every few minutes for a text.

 

When he arrived at the restaurant, it was 7:51. He was a little early, but it didn't matter to him. He walked inside, quickly scanning the small-ish building for any sign of a familiar head. Seeing nothing, he walked up to the waiter at the front and asked to be seated. The man swiftly led him to a small booth next to a window and handed him four menus.

 

He sat there gazing at the entrees absentmindedly. A waitress came by to ask him what he would like to drink, but he dismissed her politely and mentioned that he was still waiting on people to arrive. Not two minutes later, a tap on his shoulder showed that Tanaka had arrived, along with what he could only assume to be his sister and her fiancé.

 

Tanaka slid into the seat beside him, the women sitting across from them. He was dressed similarly to Ennoshita, but the button up he was wearing was black.  _ He looks good, shit.  _ Ennoshita thought. He turned his gaze towards Tanaka’s sister. She had short blonde hair and piercings. Her fiancé was tall, much taller than Ennoshita. She had long silver hair and a kind smile.

 

“Saeko Tanaka, and this is my fiancé, Alisa Haiba,” Tanaka’s sister introduced, holding her hand over the table for Ennoshita to shake. Ennoshita took her hand, smiling.

 

“Ennoshita Chikara,” he replied kindly. He was a lot calmer than he thought he would be. They made easy conversation on light topics, like how volleyball went or what Ennoshita was majoring in. Besides getting to know Tanaka’s family, he decided that this was a good opportunity to get to know Tanaka himself as well.

 

The waitress came back to get their orders. They ordered quickly, eager to get back to talking with each other. As she left, Saeko leaned in closer over the table.

 

“So, how long have you guys been dating?” She asked with a mischievous smirk on her face. Ennoshita leaned back a tiny bit, becoming slightly nervous.

 

“A-ah! Not very long,” Tanaka cut in, flustered.

 

“Yeah, we just started dating last week,” Ennoshita added. Tanaka began to play with the hem of his shirt again, and Saeko grinned as she looked back and forth between the two. She looked like she was going to say something, but had decided to keep it in. Alisa hadn't spoken much throughout the night so far, and appeared to be content watching how it would all play out.

 

Now, however, her kind smile from before had evolved into a wide grin. She stared intently at the interactions that Tanaka and Ennoshita had and evaluated exactly how their relationship might work out.

“So, what do you do in your spare time?” Alisa asked, deliberately diverting the conversation although that wasn't what she  _ really  _ wanted to talk about.

 

“Well, whenever I can, I like to go to the park to take pictures of the plants and animals,” Ennoshita supplied. The flush on his face died down a little, as he genuinely enjoyed talking about photography.

 

“It's how we met, actually,” Tanaka added, wanting to chip in even if he wasn't the topic of conversation. Ennoshita snorted.

 

“Yeah, you ran into me playing Pokémon Go,” he smirked, rolling his eyes. Alisa giggled at that while Saeko looked like she might be dying on the other side of the booth. She was clutching her sides and leaning on the taller girl next to her, wheezing out short breaths of mirth. Tanaka’s face reddened about 20 shades before spluttering and denying it.

 

They told more stupid stories about each other throughout the night, mostly supplied by Saeko. It seemed she was determined to embarrass her little brother, and she did a pretty damn good job of it too. Alisa occasionally butted in to add on things that Saeko missed or correct some things she messed up. Their conversation was only interrupted by the waiter, but it was easy for them to fall back into easy conversation as they were stuffing their faces.

 

Overall, Ennoshita considered the double date to be a win. Saeko and Alisa left laughing and waving, while Tanaka left blushing but smiling nevertheless. Ennoshita walked home with a grin on his face and his heart full. At that point in time, he didn't care if the relationship was faked or not, but he was starting to really enjoy Tanaka’s company. Whatever they had, he hoped that it stayed like this.

* * *

 

When Ennoshita got back to his dorm, he pulled off his clothes and settled into his bed with a dorky grin. His brain was full of images of a blushing, laughing, or just a generally cute Tanaka. Yeah, they were still practically strangers, but Ennoshita knew what he liked in a partner-and Tanaka was looking promising so far. Besides, even if they were just friends, he would live.

 

He wrapped his soft blankets around his body and buried his face into the pillow. Ennoshita smiled as dreams of his new companion filled his mind and made him think happy thoughts.  _ Yeah, _ he thought as he drifted off,  _ this won't be so bad. _

* * *

 

This is so,  _ so  _ bad, he realized the next morning. Thoughts were racing through his head at the speed of sound-thoughts about the previous night. Fuck, he thought,  _ fuck.  _ This may be a small one, but it's still a crush. And hell if Ennoshita knew how to deal with crushes. The last time he had one, it was on a girl in middle school. A lot had changed since then. As he has gotten older, he learned to take what he wanted (in the most innocent way possible). But how, dear god  _ how,  _ is he supposed to take this?

 

Tanaka isn't just some boy he met and finds vaguely attractive. Well, he kindly of was, but that doesn't change the fact. Ennoshita has known this man for a total of  _ one week,  _ and not only have they started pretend-dating, but they've introduced each other to their friends and family. Well, Ennoshita had yet to call his parents about this, but that was besides the point. The point was, Ennoshita has gotten himself way too deep into this, and now he wasn't quite sure how to work his way out.

 

But that was enough dwelling on that for this morning; he had some plants to photograph. He grabbed his camera from his desk and shoved it into his messenger bag again. He pushed his way through the door and down the hall. Practically sprinting down the stairs, he needed a way to boil in his frustration and let out his energy. But most importantly, he needed to think.

 

He needed to think this through calmly and rationally, surrounded by nature and the soft murmur of nearby city noises. He needed to relax and do something he enjoys so that he can properly assess this situation, whatever  _ this  _ was. So he went to the park.

 

He walked down the sidewalk less urgently now, more of his energy burned off. He strode around the park, occasionally raising it to his face.  _ Snap. Snap.  _ Once again, the click of a shutter. The song of morning birds. But this time, Ennoshita had too much on his mind, not too little. And this time, he couldn’t breathe. He was panicking, but doing his best not to show it. He hastily took a few pictures of some kind of flower hanging off of a branch. He tried to steady himself. It didn’t work.

 

He turned around angrily, his head down as if to shield his expression from the other people that might be walking around the park. He shoved the camera back into his bag. Ennoshita didn’t know what he felt. Maybe he was angry. Angry that a stranger could wrap Ennoshita around his finger so soon after meeting him. Maybe he was sad, sad that he wanted this, but it was fake. He didn’t know, nor did he care. He needed to relax, and soon.

 

However, that didn’t seem very probable. Instead, the more he learned about Tanaka, the more he fell. He strolled aimlessly around the park now, lost in both mind and body. He prayed he wouldn’t run into Tanaka. In reality, the park was a bad idea seeing as visiting it upped the chance of a meeting. Unfortunately, he didn’t really have anywhere else to go. His parents lived 2 hours away, and he didn’t want to bother Kinoshita or Narita. It’s not like they could know what situation he was in anyway, it ruin the plan.

 

His breathing grew less ragged as he willfully evened it out.  _ This will be over soon,  _ He reassured himself.  _ All I need to do is wait for Nishinoya to win the bet, then wait a week and Tanaka and I will fake a messy breakup,  _ he thought. Actually, it wasn’t that reassuring, but plans always calmed ennoshita. The feeling of something being set and planned out brought a sense of stability to his life, even if the plan wasn’t easy to follow through with.

 

He decided to leave the park and just rest back in his dorm. It was Saturday, so he didn’t have anything to do. He jogged home, burning off the last of his energy. He pushed himself up the steps to his floor, and walked the rest of the way to his door. Shoving his key in the lock he jiggled it around until the bolt clicked, and pushed himself inside. He turned and pushed the door behind him again. He slid off his bag and dropped it onto his floor. Ennoshita made his way to his bed once again, grabbed his phone and wrapped himself back into his blankets.

 

He turned his phone on, tapped the  _ YouTube  _ app and watched videos until he felt himself drifting off. He tried to fight it, but it was no use. His eyes opened and closed, opened and closed. When he could no longer resist, he fell into a fitful sleep. It was only 11:00 in the morning, but he felt like his day had lasted 19 hours. He wasn’t going to enjoy his weekend, was he?

* * *

 

He awoke once again the the buzz of a phone, this time on his chest. He laid there for a moment, refusing to grace whoever was bothering him with a response. After the 5th notification however, he begrudgingly raised the device to his face. The message app was open, and he saw the little “Tanaka” at the top. He sighed. Scrolling up, he read the messages.

 

(42 minutes ago) Tanaka

_ Hey what’s up? _

_ Just wanted to let you know that Noya’s almost filled his up now _

 

(29 minutes ago) Tanaka

_??? _

_ Chika?? _

_ U there????? _

 

(10 minutes ago) Tanaka

_ Aaah I’m sorry _

_ U must be busy _

_ Didn’t mean to interrupt u lol _

_ Talk to u later? _

_ We’ll talk more about this when ur free alright? _

 

Ennoshita just stared. While he was happy that this whole ordeal would soon be over, he again wasn’t quite sure how the break up itself would make him feel. He exhaled noisily, rolling onto his side. He held his thumbs over the digital keyboard for a few seconds, before typing out a reply.

 

(sent)

_ Sorry, I was just taking a nap lol. _

_ I’m free to talk anytime this weekend, if you want _

_ Should we set up a meeting or smth? To discuss the details. _

 

(now) Tanaka

_ I don’t think that’ll be necessary _

_ We could just text lol _

_ I was thinking once he fills it up we could just ‘date’ for another week or so then have a breakup _

_ Like we talked about before _

 

(sent)

_ Let’s do that _

_ Just text me when he wins lol _

And with that last reply, Ennoshita turned his phone onto ‘do not disturb’, set it on his desk, and promptly rolled over in his bed again the face the wall. He had calmed down since this morning, thankfully. Now that they had a set plan, everything was in motion.  _ Just a little over a week _ , he reminded himself,  _ then this will be over.  _ He tried not to think about it. Instead, he slid off his bed and checked his appearance in the mirror before stepping outside again. This time, he didn’t grab his signature bag, and instead just plugged in his headphones and listened to music as he walked. He wandered around campus, then walked to the nearby city to look at all the little shops and observe the natural city life.

 

Exploring like this gave him something to do. It would distract him from his confusing emotions and thoughts. He passed by a small art supply store with canvases and a large array of paints displayed in the window. Continuing his walking, he gazed at the restaurants, cafes, and apartment buildings he passed. Despite all of the diversions, the impending break-up was still weighing on his mind. Sighing, he turned around and began to walk back to campus, his eyes on the street and not looking in front of him. He continued on like this until a sudden collision jolted him back into reality.

 

Shouting slightly in shock, he gripped his arm where they had made contact. He raised his gaze slightly only to see a familiar hairstyle and short stature. In front of him, Nishinoya Yuu was rubbing his head with an annoyed expression and closed eyes.

 

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” he groaned. Ennoshita just stared at him, not saying a word. “Damn, don’t you have any manners? You should at least apologize for not looking where you-” Nishinoya opened his eyes and stopped rubbing his head when realization came over his features. The libero gasped and all frustration left his features, replaced with excitement. “Hey, you’re Ryuu’s boyfriend aren’t you?” he asked-shouted. Ennoshita flinched, the sudden noise startling him.

 

“Yeah, I am,” he responded sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“That’s great! Hey, how about we take this chance to get to know each other? I know this great place about a block away,” Nishinoya then proceeded to drag Ennoshita away, despite the multitude of protests produced by the black haired wing-spiker. He brought them to a quaint looking tea shop and pulled Ennoshita inside. Once they stopped, Nishinoya walked up to the counter to talk to the cashier for a second. He took the opportunity to look around the shop, taking in the many tea sets and plants. Turning his gaze back onto Nishinoya and the cashier, he noticed that he had turned around and was about to walk over to a small table in the corner. Following suit, Ennoshita took a seat at the table across from him.

 

“So, why exactly are we here?” Ennoshita asked nervously. Nishinoya was a little intimidating, in spite of being so… little. He hoped and prayed that their future conversation would just stay on the basic questions, and not get too deep. Apparently, the universe didn’t want to work in his favor.

 

“Oh, I just wanted to get to know you, you know?” Nishinoya said with a smile.

 

“Well, what do you want to know?” Ennoshita asked. He had no preparation for what was to come. Nishinoya’s face darkened in .02 seconds, and he slammed his hands down on the table, loomingover Ennoshita threateningly; no trace of the happy demeanor of before, he stared Ennoshita dead in the eye.

 

“ _ If you hurt Ryuu, your relationship isn’t the only thing you’ll lose,”   _ he whispered, glaring seriously. And just like that, he was back to his usual expression. He sat back down just as fast as he had gotten up, and Ennoshita wasn’t sure if he had just hallucinated. “So, how long have you guys been dating again?” he asked, all sunshine and smiles. Forcing himself to calm down, he replied with as much ease as possible.

 

“Well, It’s just been a little over a week,” he said, trying to hold Nishinoya’s eye contact. It was unnerving to be interrogated by your boyfriend’s best friend-this was a prime example.

 

“What are you majoring in?” he pressed further.

 

“M-mechanical engineering,” he stuttered out, Nishinoya’s seemingly innocent appearance wearing down on him like nothing else.

 

“What are your intentions with Ryuu? Why did you ask him out?” Unrelenting; that’s what he was. This question, Ennoshita had no idea how to answer. There was the easy option to cop out and change the subject, but that would just gain needless suspicion from Nishinoya, and he  _ really  _ didn’t need that. He thought as fast as he could. What was a good way to answer this? He didn’t know.

 

“Well, you see,” he started, then paused briefly, “I don’t really  _ want  _ anything out of him.” He finished his answer lamely, he really couldn’t think of a better one. Oh god, he felt bad about this. Nishinoya looked like he was about to ask another question, when a ringing from his pocket shut him up. He looked at his phone for a second, before he stood up with a smile on his face.

 

“Well, it was nice getting to know you, but i need to go,” Nishinoya explained. Ennoshita thanked the heavens, lady luck finally shining down on him from above. He was saved. But before the libero left, he handed him a slip of paper with a string of numbers scrawled out. “If you ever want to talk, feel free,” he explained, then left a slightly confused Ennoshita in his wake. Shaking off what had just happened, he followed suit and left the shop.

 

Nishinoya hadn’t done anything to settle his feelings, in fact, he had just made them worse. Ennoshita didn’t really know what to do besides go back to his dorm and relax the rest of the night. He looked at the setting sun, wondering how time had gotten past him so fast. He pondered on it only briefly, then continued on his way back home. Yes, this would be very hectic.

* * *

 

Ennoshita woke up on his own for once, the morning sun glaring through the blinds unforgivingly. He don’t know how long he just stayed still, basking in the light of a Sunday morning. But of course, his morning was ruined yet again by a ringing from his nightstand. He groaned. When would it  _ end?  _ Even though he wasn’t willing, he relented and answered the call.

 

“Hello?” he asked gruffly into his phone.

 

“ _ Ahh were you asleep? Sorry!”  _ Tanaka said from the other side. Ennoshita just grunted noncommittally. “ _ Well I was just calling to let you know that Noya won. So,”  _ He trailed off. Ennoshita couldn’t really think of what to say. After thinking long and hard the night before, he had finally sorted out whatever he was feeling. It was messy, and he may or may not have cried, but at least he could put a name in his feelings. Kind of. Truth be told, he was still confused, but he had come to terms with it.

 

“Yeah,” Ennoshita replied awkwardly, “I’ve been meaning to talk about that.” He held his breath, not really knowing what to expect. Silence on the other end. Until,

 

“ _ Yeah _ ?” Tanaka asked.

 

“Okay  _ so,”  _ Ennoshita inhaled deeply, gathering up his courage, “I-”

 

“ _ Ireallylikeyouwillyoudatemeforreal?”  _ Tanaka cut him off. Taking a moment to actually process what he had just said, Ennoshita said nothing. Tanaka spoke up again, “ _ Chikara? I'm sorry, I fucked up. I'll- I'll go now. Sorry.”  _ Before he could get a single word in, Tanaka had hung up. And just like that, Ennoshita had screwed up a potential relationship. Well, at the very least, it was kind of expected.

* * *

 

Tanaka fucked up bad this time. He didn't even know what came over him. He was stupid to get his hopes up, to believe that maybe he had a chance with Ennoshita. So, like the idiot he was prone to be, he had just blurted out a confession without a second thought.

 

_ Fucking dumbass,  _ he thought to himself. He didn't need to be a fortune teller to see where this was going. They had volleyball tomorrow, and there was no way that either one of them would get out of the first practice and survive. That being said, Tanaka wasn't sure if he would survive anyway.

 

But there was nothing he could do. He resigned to his fate and decided to face reality. Due to that, he went about his day as normal, diverting his thoughts away from his ruined relationship with homework and social media. He finished off his Sunday with little success and a broken heart. As he laid on his bed that night, his mind betrayed him. And so, he fell asleep restlessly and emotionally messed up.

* * *

 

Ennoshita awoke Monday morning with a crick in his neck and a throbbing in his head. The night before had been full of Netflix, crying, and wine-not necessarily in that order. But alas, he had classes today, and he couldn't be left to mope any longer. 

 

So, he rolled out of bed, threw whatever clothes he had lying around, and picked up his bag before once again heading out of his door and into the world. He made his way to the Science and Engineering building for his first class of the day, and the rest passed in a blur.

* * *

 

When Ennoshita’s classes were over for that day, he had more time than Friday to get to volleyball. He took his time going back to his dorm, actually trying to prolong the amount of time he had until he had to face the inevitable. Even though he took as long as possible getting ready, he still arrived at the gym 4 minutes early.

 

Stepping inside, he began stretches and warmups with the few teammates that were there already. About 10 minutes later, everyone had arrived. The coach called them into a circle to discuss team tactics, positions, and such. Ennoshita did his best to focus on that and not on the man sitting across from him.

 

When the coach was done, they split into groups to do a set of drills. It went on like this for the rest of practice. Ennoshita had kept his interaction with Tanaka at a bare minimum, and he tried to pretend it didn't hurt him.

* * *

 

Practice was over with, and the team made quick work picking up the balls and putting the nets away. Ennoshita and Tanaka still had yet to really talk to one another, and there was a thick tension hanging between the two. Nishinoya seemed to notice, and glowered slightly at Ennoshita as if to say “what did I tell you”, but he was back to his normal eccentricity almost immediately afterwards.

 

He didn't know how, but suddenly he and Tanaka were the last people left in the gym. They didn't meet each other's eyes, and instead danced around what needed to be said. Tanaka cleared his throat, as if he didn't already have Ennoshita’s attention.

 

“Look, I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I don't know what came over me, I just-” he cut himself off, the sincerity of his apology cutting Ennoshita like a knife. He couldn't believe that he had made Tanaka believe he didn't like him. It was bullshit.

 

They always say that actions speak louder than words. Maybe that held true when Ennoshita did what he did next, or maybe he just couldn't think of the right words. He took a few steps towards Tanaka, and without hesitation, wrapped his arms around the taller wing spiker. He froze in his arms, and both of their brains simultaneously short-circuited.

 

Ennoshita's inner monologue went along the lines of  _ What do I do what do I do oh god what am I supposed to do next?  _ But Tanaka's were quite a bit less eloquent. In fact, he couldn't even think comprehensive thoughts, it was all just a jumbled mess of  _??????????.  _ They stayed like that for a while until Tanaka melted against Ennoshita and enveloped him in his arms as well.

 

Tanaka could feel small wet spots newly formed on his shirt where Ennoshita was burying his face.  _ Fuck, he's crying!  _ He thought. He didn't know what to do, so he just pulled him closer to his chest.

 

After what could have been hours, they untangled themselves and decided to talk it out like normal adults. Ennoshita was the first one to speak up, his voice soft and gruff from crying.

 

“I’m sorry, this is my fault,” he said, “I made it too confusing. When you confessed over the phone, I didn't know what to say. I still don't, really.” Ennoshita laughed nervously. Tanaka wore a confused expression, but it morphed into realization then hesitant joy.

 

“So, uh… does this mean you'll go out with me? For real this time,” Tanaka asked, picking at his shirt’s hem.

 

“Yes, you idiot.” Ennoshita scoffed playfully, the tear stains on Tanaka's shirt and his face now disregarded. Tanaka's face broke out into a full-on grin, filled with genuine happiness and relief. He didn't say another word, and instead bent down to press his lips softly against Ennoshita's.

* * *

 

_ Snap.  _ The sound of a camera shutter. The early morning birdsong gracing the wind with its presence. But this time, Ennoshita wasn't alone. Instead, a punk with a dragon tattoo up his left arm walked hand-in-hand with him. He had his phone out, checking an app every few seconds. They occasionally stopped when Ennoshita wanted to photograph something, but otherwise, they made light chatter as they walked through the familiar park.

 

Despite their rocky- and rather dumb- start to their relationship, they had worked through their initial issues and finally worked out their feelings. The road ahead wasn't going to be simple, and it most certainly wouldn't be normal, but they would get through it. That's what they did after all, and everything is alright. Yeah, everything's going to be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit I spent waaay too much time on this;;;  
> My Tumblr is @demonsacrifice so do with that what you will


End file.
